Show I t 1 Yank Big Guns Crush Nazi Attack in Italy Commanding Heights Seized by Fifth In Central Sector By Wes Gallagher A ALL ALLIED L L I E D HEADQUARTERS Algiers Oct 28 UP PI American artillery crushed a nazi counterattack counterattack counterattack counter counter- attack at Alife on the Fifth army's right wing in Italy Friday knocking knocking knocking knock knock- ing ing out a number of tanks and andin andin andin in the central sector Fifth army troops have seized commanding heights it was announced Satur Satur- day This was the first appearance of German tanks in any number In some time but Field Marshal General General Gen Gen- eral crab Albert Kesselring's counterattack counterattack counterattack counter counter- attack failed as did a similar effort effort effort ef ef- ef- ef fort on the Eighth army front near Montecilfone The Germans now firmly entrenched entrenched entrenched en en- trenched in their new mountain positions launched a series ot of counterblows designed to throw the Fifth and Eighth armies off balance Allied troops not only beat off every a attack tack but Eighth army forces advanced two miles to take Lupara which controls high ground in central Italy Fhe Five Ships Blasted In sea actions small units of the American and British navies including U. U S. S patrol torpedo boats sank captured or damaged five nazi controlled vessels The torpedo boats darted far up the northwest coast of Italy near Leghorn Leghorn Leghorn Leg Leg- horn from rom new bases in the Med Med- n Jl alt t their r raid J In the air dallied ail allied bomber fleets continued their their- Balkan campaign bombing the nazi airdrome at El- El near Ath Athens ns The allied co said Fifth army troops had captured capt commanding heights in the central sector of their front and nd are exploiting exploiting ex- ex ex cx- this gain but did not identify the area The heaviest fighting Friday occurred d near Alife captured earlier earlier ear ear- lier In the drive up the bend of the Volturno river Kesselring brought up some of his seldom-seen seldom t tanks backed up by infantry and artillery and lashed out in what Fifth army headquarters described as a very active manner But the American big guns which caused such great havoc In German ranks particularly particularly in the latter phases of the Tunisian fight brought the nazi thrust to a standstill with heavy losses There is no question now but that the Germans are firmly established established established in a number of strongly- strongly held positions all along the front an allied officer declared Solid Line Defense German divisions are holding an almost solid line along the Fifth army front barring the approaches approaches approaches ap ap- ap- ap to Rome while against the Eighth army they have adopted adopt adopt- ed a practice of holding a series of powerfully-defended powerfully heights with their guns completely controlling controlling con con- trolling all the approaches On the whole the land fighting is is' not on a large scale as as both sides prepared for the next phase of the campaign Lupara taken b by the British is nine miles southwest of Larino The swift torpedo boats makIng makIng mak- mak Ing their first announced foray into the waters of the neck of Italy Intercepted German convoys Tuesday and Wednesday night Inthe Inthe in inthe the Leghorn area a naval com corn said Leghorn is 1 0 aIrline airline airline air air- line miles above Rome on the west coast Charging In Tuesday night upon a a northbound convoy of f fa a small tanker aa ah an F lighter and three A boats the torpedo boats scored a a hit on the lighter and possibly on the tanker RetaliAtory Retaliatory Retaliatory tory fire from wa was s inaccurate inaccurate inaccurate in in accurate and they eventually engaged engaged engaged en en- each other a a. said The next night the torpedo boats intercepted a southbound convoy of three F lighters and four small escorts escort torpedoing one of the lighters The American craft escaped without damage or casualties Operating in the Adriatic British BritIsh Brit Bait ish destroyers sank a Yugoslav trawler carrying a German armed guard off the Albanian coast and andin andin andin in a sweep off ft the same area the next night captured an enemy merchant merchant mer mer- chant vessel etsel the said German gun positions troops and transports were attacked by medium light and fighter bombers bombera bombers bomb bomb- ers era and fighters and a direct hit was scored on an ammunition dump south of San Salvo Sal Night I bombers ripped up railroad Installations installations lations rations at Porto Civitanova Friday Friday Fri Fri- I Iday day night |